Auditing an App's Incentives

When you are unsure whether a tool helps you, follow the money with three quick checks:

• Who pays? If you do not pay, advertisers usually do — and your attention becomes the product being sold.
• What does it measure? A tool tuned for your minutes on screen behaves differently from one tuned for finishing your task fast.
• Does the price move? Dynamic pricing can quietly raise a fare or checkout total when signals suggest you are in a hurry or shopping late at night.

Run these checks and a hidden agenda usually surfaces in seconds.